It seems there is always someone in politics ready to gain cheap publicity against opposing factions, and even if one party came up with a brilliant idea someone would oppose it purely because it was not theirs. Isn't it time all sides of politics started working together to help this once-great country get back on its feet?

It seems egos are running this country at the moment. Perhaps I should rephrase that by saying China is running this country and this has to stop. Until we have honest politicians, and I underline honest, I'm afraid democracy will be swept under the carpet.

I RECENTLY rang City of Newcastle council about a problem I believe they have caused in Shortland with what I believe to be an open-slather approach with the apparent mantra that any development is good development.

The lack of off-street parking leads to people parking so close to your driveway, which makes it very difficult and sometimes dangerous to enter or leave your driveway. To get two lines marked on the road, the council wants to charge me $130.05.

As an Newcastle ratepayer for over 35 years, I find this outrageous and when asked if I could do this job myself I was told no. After 35 years of mowing and whipper-snipping their footpath maybe I should send them a bill for my time and fuel.

LAKE Macquarie's MAC (Museum of Art and Culture) is on a winner with its Friday night Late MAC events.

We attended the first for the year last Friday and had a wonderful evening. The fabulous setting lends itself to evening experiences at the gallery. We enjoyed the art activity (painting a pottery bowl to be fired and collected later). The musicians added a relaxed and funky vibe.

We enjoyed the Hunter Valley bubbles and wine and the tasty food platters. The evening went so quickly we didn't have time to check out the latest exhibition, but it is on our calendar for later this week.

Congratulations to everyone involved with MAC. We encourage the cultural experiences team at Lake Macquarie City Council to make this a regular event, please.

THE issue of politics and religion not mixing has become a myth. The wealth of the Catholic Church cannot be sustained unless it has enormous reserves and/or support by philanthropy, governments or other.

The reluctance and scrutiny with which they are fulfilling (or not) applications for redress is a disgrace. It has been a few years now since the report of the royal commission was published and very little good news has been shown to those most in need. Victims/survivors have been put through the ringer for Peter's pence settlements, while many institutions have been drawn kicking and screaming to the decision-making table.

On the other hand we have seen the gloating about new education facilities, retirement villages and support for child care and other middle class amenities. The taxpayer is responsible for funds, and I believe the government serves these people. It is common knowledge that many large, prosperous companies find unscrupulous ways of escaping paying their due amount. Keeping in mind that religious organisations are exempt from tax, I will leave it up to the readers and taxpayers to decide if this is fair, while every day we hear about those most in need not being supported.

As well as the sports rorts scandal, I believe there could well be religious rorts.

THE Rudd government, aware of the consequence of failing to get on the front foot when facing the global financial crisis, sought the advice of the head of Treasury Ken Henry as to the best course of action to be taken. "Go hard, go early and go households" was famously the advice for the Rudd government.

Proceeding on Mr. Henry's advice, it rapidly put together a $52 billion stimulus package. It was a move that saved Australia from a recession. The conservative parties criticised the Rudd government stimulus as being an unnecessary act of knee-jerk and ill-advised economics.

Hansard since 2008 must surely contain reams of Coalition comments condemning the Rudd stimulus package as being an anathema, a concept totally alien to everything the Liberals and Nationals believe ideologically and economically. However, with ScoMo, Josh and, the LNP facing a possible second quarter of negative GDP and a consequent recession, a backflip seems on the cards ('Boost for business as government steps up coronavirus action', Newcastle Herald 12/3)?

WE don't need another stimulus package. Labor will support a stimulus package similar to the package they provided during the GFC. Am I hearing right? Considering the needy who earned less than the taxable income, would letting them miss out once more be a case of two wrongs failing to make a right? As for starting a spending spree, if it is anything like the last stimulus package I believe places like China, who produce most of what people purchased, and a few large retailers were the eventual winners. My understanding is that we are still repaying the first stimulus package.

Maybe some form of incentive to spend may help, but please don't just throw money away like there is no tomorrow without remembering the need to repay.

I READ Bill Livingtone's piece (Letters, 9/3) with interest and found myself nodding in agreement at his experience with delays connecting from heavy rail to light rail at the Newcastle Interchange.

I recently travelled to Sydney, on a Sunday morning. In the late afternoon I returned home to Newcastle, on the same train as Bill, the 4:18pm service from Central Sydney. Upon arriving at The Newcastle Interchange (at 7:03pm that night) I was also confronted with an unacceptable wait of well over 20 minutes for a light rail connection to complete my journey home. Even though the weekend is off-peak, surely more can be done to ensure that the light rail / heavy rail timetables are better aligned.

Could authorities please investigate and implement co-ordinated timetables? This would greatly reduce travel times and certainly improve the Newcastle Interchange public transport.

I AM in agreement with Paul Scott on public toilets ('City can't wash hands of serious issue', Opinion 9/3), not only in Newcastle but NSW in general. I'm just back from Tasmania where they have toilets along the roads in reasonably close proximity and they are regularly maintained. They also have toilet paper, soap dispensers, hand dryers or paper towels. Maybe Tasmanians care more about their facilities, as I saw little vandalism of them. It's a shame NSW can't follow suit.

SCOTT Hillard (Short Takes, 9/3) couldn't be more wrong with his claim that AGL has more "investor appeal" than Tesla. A quick glance of the stock market shows that Tesla has a share price of over $700 up from just over $100 five years ago. AGL on the other hand is at around $12 value up from $9.50 five years ago. No, Mr Hillard, apparently "you don't know which of these two prospects investors are likely to back."

The intellectuals, who caused the rush on toilet paper and reduction in Corona beer sales, are required by law to vote. Surely this is more evidence as to why voting should not be compulsory in Australia, as is the case in many countries.

WHETHER it be bushfires, drought, floods, earthquakes or anything to that magnitude Aussies have always had your back covered. But when a little virus comes to town, it's every arse for themselves. Shameful.

THANK you very much for coming from Hamilton South in order to return my walking stick which I left behind in the shopping trolley at Coles Car park on Saturday afternoon. Your kindness is greatly appreciated.

PRIVATE schools don't need taxpayer money. It's just a way of the church taking money off the people on the sly.

TV media, stop scaring people.

AS a councillor I well recall Newcastle council's answer to public toilet problems was to demolish them, or as with the Civic Park mens toilet, to lock it up for many decades on other specious excuses.

JIM Ryan surely isn't serious. Blaming Scott Morrison for the 'recession' which we 'have to have' has got to be a sick joke. Get out of your armchair and tell us all how you would have handled the mess.

THE world's scientific community has conclusively established a clear and unequivocal link between human activity and global warming, Peter Devey. In other words - it's a scientific fact. I can't "provide" you with any more "unambiguous evidence" than that. Amongst the old Conservative bloke community however, we know there is a strong belief in "alternative facts"!